Conrad Course material 3964 14 years and over 3964 User Manual

Understanding and using electronics 
Burkhard Kainka 
 

1. Step: 

Introduction.......................................................................................................................................1 

Patch panel .....................................................................................................................................................1 
Battery............................................................................................................................................................2 
Light-emitting diodes.....................................................................................................................................3 
Resistors.........................................................................................................................................................3 
NPN transistors ..............................................................................................................................................4 
PNP transistors...............................................................................................................................................4 
MOSFET........................................................................................................................................................4 
Capacitors ......................................................................................................................................................4 
Electrolytic capacitors....................................................................................................................................5 

2. 

Step: Current gain ......................................................................................................................................5 

3. 

Step: Positive and negative reversed..........................................................................................................6 

4. 

Step: Follow-up control .............................................................................................................................6 

5. 

Step: Contact sensor...................................................................................................................................7 

6. 

Step: Motion detector.................................................................................................................................8 

7. 

Step: LED as light sensor...........................................................................................................................9 

8. 

Step: Constant brightness...........................................................................................................................9 

9. 

Step: Temperature sensor.........................................................................................................................10 

10. 

Step: On and off ...................................................................................................................................11 

11. 

Step: Firing and erasing .......................................................................................................................11 

12. 

Step: Push-pull flasher .........................................................................................................................12 

13. 

Step: Simple LED flasher ....................................................................................................................13 

14. 

Step: LED flashing light ......................................................................................................................13 

15. 

Step: MOSFET touch sensor ...............................................................................................................14 

16. Step: 

Sensor-dimmer............................................................................................................................15 

17. Step: 

Electrometer................................................................................................................................15 

18. 

Step: LEDs as photovoltaic cells .........................................................................................................16 

19. 

Step: Capacitor temperature sensor .....................................................................................................17 

20. 

Step: Minute light ................................................................................................................................17 

21. 

Step: Smooth flasher ............................................................................................................................18 

 
 

 
Since the transistor was invented, things have only gotten better with electronics. Today we are surrounded by 
devices whose integrated circuits contain many millions of transistors. But at the same time fewer and fewer know 
exactly how a (single!) transistor actually works. The gap between using and understanding electronics is constantly 
increasing. It is very simple: take a few transistors and do a few simple experiments – and an infinite number of 
possibilities open up. Many problems can be solved with simple transistor circuits. So get creative!

 

 
A transistor is a component with three connections and is for controlling the electric current. The amount of current 
that flows is influenced via a control connection (gate). There are essentially only two types of transistor. The bipolar 
transistors are made of layers with N and P semiconductor material. Depending on the sequence of layers, there are 
NPN transistors (e.g., BC547) and PNP transistors (e.g., BC557). By contrast, unipolar transistors consist of only one 
semiconductor channel whose conductivity is changed by an electric field. For this reason they are called field effect 
transistors

 (FET). A typical representative is N-channel MOSFET BS170. 

 

 
This educational kit will make your start into electronics easier. First of all, the components are presented. The 
individual experiments are done on a breadboard. For each experiment there is a circuit diagram and a set-up photo. 
The photo is only meant as a suggestion. You can also arrange the components differently. The connection wires of 
the individual components were in some cases shortened for the photos to give a clearer view. But you should use the 
connection wires unshortened so that they can also be used for other experiments.

 

 
Patch panel  
All experiments are set up on a laboratory experimental board. The patch panel with altogether 270 contacts in a 
2.54 mm grid provides for secure connections of the components.